The public is invited to join geoscientists from the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology on Saturday, October 12 for a free field trip during which they explain the geology of the Truckee Meadows and Virginia City areas.

Major stops on this field trip will include the Ormat geothermal plant in south Reno and the Chollar Mine in Virginia City.

The family oriented annual field trip, named “Lode and Behold! Geology and Natural Resources of the Truckee Meadows and Virginia City,” is in celebration of Earth Science Week 2019, a national event, and the importance of Earth sciences to the people of the State of Nevada.

Sign-ups for the Earth science trip are required and can be completed on the University of Nevada, Reno’s Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology website. Trip leaders will be Mike Ressel, Rachel Micander and Jack Hursh.

Participants should meet at 18250 Wedge Parkway in south Reno (off Mount Rose Highway). The meeting will be in the parking lot between the Starbucks and Raley's at 8 a.m. Look for the Nevada flag. The trip will end and leave the Virginia City area about 3:30 p.m.

The Bureau of Mines and Geology, a statewide public service unit within the College of Science at the University, coordinates annual geology field trips for the public during, or near, Earth Science Week each fall season. These field trips are fun, educational, family oriented and always free. The Bureau has been an active participant in Earth Science Week since it began in 1998.

Information on previous Earth Science Week field trips is available on the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology website.

Since October 1998, the American Geosciences Institute has organized this national and international event to help the public gain a better understanding and appreciation for the Earth sciences and to encourage stewardship of the Earth. This year's Earth Science Week is Oct. 13-19 and will celebrate the theme "Geoscience Is for Everyone." The coming year's event will emphasize both the inclusive potential and the importance of the geosciences in the lives of all people.